Reading in June and Crime Fiction Pick of the Month

In June I read a total of eight books. I read one non-fiction book, and two fantasy novels. Both of the fantasies had elements of crime fiction. And one of my favorite reads was a police procedural in an apocalyptic setting. Another good reading month.

The non-fiction book I read this month was Don't Know Much About Literature. I was disappointed in this book. The subtitle is "What You Need to Know but Never Learned About Great Books and Authors" and it supplied little that I needed to know or wanted to know about literature.

I usually love any book about books, this one did not do it for me. To quote a review at Goodreads that says it very well:

While I typically devour books about books and I have enjoyed Davis’s other books, the “quiz” format of DKMA Literature just didn’t work. It was literally too trivial and didn’t offer any quality information on literary topics or authors.

I got the impression from that review and others that the format is different from other books of the same series, and I have not tried any of those.

These are the books I read, with links to reviews...

1. Kaleidoscope by J. Robert Janes
2. Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
3. Don't Know Much About Literature by Kenneth C. Davis
4. Death Wore White by Jim Kelly
5. Daemons Are Forever by Simon R. Green
6. The Last Policeman by Ben Winters
7. The Mugger by Ed McBain
8. The Pusher by Ed McBain

Two of these books stood out for me, Rivers of London and The Last Policeman.

Rivers of London is a cross-genre novel, blending fantasy and crime fiction. Most often I have seen it categorized as Urban Fantasy. The main character is a policeman and is actively investigating crimes so it also fits the definition of a police procedural. It is humorous and fun.

The Last Policeman is the story of a policeman, Detective Hank Palace, pursuing a homicide case in a pre-apocalyptic world. In a world where many people are abandoning their jobs or changing their entire lives, Hank is stubbornly investigating an incident that every one else thinks is suicide. That one was compelling and thought-provoking.

I could go for a tie, but I think I need to make a choice. I loved both of them for different reasons, but I guess my favorite book of the month is The Last Policeman. And later, when I am able to read the next book in each of these series, I will see how those compare.